Fried Okra with Sweet Chile Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1. Vegetable oil, for frying
2. 1 cup white cornmeal
3. 1 cup all-purpose flour
4. 1 teaspoon baking powder
5. Kosher salt
6. Freshly ground white pepper
7. 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
8. 2 large eggs
9. 1 pound large okra, halved lengthwise

1. Fill a large saucepan with 2 inches of oil and heat to 350°. In a bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. Add the milk and eggs and whisk until smooth. Add the okra and turn to coat.
2. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Add 10 or 12 pieces of okra at a time to the hot oil and fry over moderately high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve right away, with the Sweet Chile Sauce.

Sweet Chile Sauce:

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 red bell pepper—cored, seeded and finely chopped
2. 1 red jalapeño or other small red chile, seeded and minced
3. 1 shallot, minced
4. 1 garlic clove, minced
5. 1 cup water
6. 1/2 cup honey
7. 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened slightly and syrupy, about 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Hush Puppies with Green Zebra Tomato Jam

HUSH PUPPIES:

1. 1 cup yellow cornmeal
2. 1 cup all-purpose flour
3. 3 tablespoons sugar
4. 1 tablespoon kosher salt
5. 1 tablespoon baking powder
6. 1 large egg, lightly beaten
7. 1 cup milk
8. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or 1 tablespoon melted butter plus 2 tablespoons melted bacon fat

JAM:

1. 2 pounds Green Zebra tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2. 1/2 cup honey
3. 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
4. 1/4 cup sugar
5. 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
6. 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
7. One 1-inch cinnamon stick
8. 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
9. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10. Salt
11. Vegetable oil, for frying

1. In a large bowl, whisk the cornmeal with the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the egg, milk and melted butter and whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate the hush puppy batter for at least 1 hour.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the diced tomatoes with the honey, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, cinnamon stick, cumin and cayenne. Bring to a boil and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until thick and jammy, about 40 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick. Season the tomato jam with salt. Transfer the jam to a bowl and let cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of oil to 350°. Set a rack over a large rimmed baking sheet and place near the stove. Stir the hush puppy batter. Drop tablespoon-size balls of batter into the hot oil, about 6 at a time, and fry, turning a few times, until they're deeply browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the hush puppies to the rack to drain. Repeat with the remaining batter. When all of the hush puppies have been fried, reheat them in the oven for about 3 minutes, or until they're hot. Serve them with the green tomato jam.

Crab Cakes with Horseradish Cream

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1/2 cup sour cream
2. 1/2 cup mayonnaise
3. 2 tablespoons drained bottled horseradish
4. 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked free of shell
5. 1 cup dry bread crumbs
6. 3 scallions including green tops, chopped
7. 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
8. Pinch cayenne
9. 1/4 teaspoon salt
10. 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
11. 3 tablespoons cooking oil

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, 1/4 cup of the mayonnaise, and the horseradish.
2. In a large bowl, combine the crabmeat, the remaining 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs, the scallions, parsley, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Shape the crab mixture into eight patties. Coat the patties with the remaining 3/4 cup bread crumbs and pat off the excess.
3. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Working in batches if necessary, fry the cakes until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Turn and fry until golden brown on the other side, about 2 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels. Serve with the horseradish cream.

Horseradish Cream:

Spicy Sriracha Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS:

10 pounds chicken wings, split

1/4 cup coriander seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup Sriracha chile sauce

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Finely grated zest and juice of 3 limes

3 quarts vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

1.In a very large bowl, toss the wings with the coriander and cumin seeds, cinnamon, kosher salt and olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

2.Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the wings on 3 large rimmed baking sheets and roast for about 30 minutes, until firm but not cooked through. (At this point, if you don't want to fry the wings, you can roast them for 1 hour longer, until crispy and golden.) Wash out the bowl. Add the Sriracha, butter, cilantro, lime zest and juice.

In a deep fryer or a very large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil to 375°.

3.Fry the wings in 4 or 5 batches until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per batch; drain, shaking off the excess oil. As each batch is finished, add the wings to the sauce and toss well. Transfer the wings to a platter, leaving the sauce in the bowl for the remaining batches. Serve hot.

Honey-Chile Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS:

4 pounds chicken wings

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 scallions, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat the broiler and set a rack in the center of the oven. In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the wings on a wire rack set over a large, sturdy baking sheet. Broil for 45 to 50 minutes, turning once or twice, until the wings are cooked through and crisp.

2.Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the vinegar and crushed red pepper and simmer for 1 minute. Let cool, then whisk in the honey and soy sauce.

3.In a large bowl, carefully toss the chicken wings with the honey-soy mixture. Transfer the wings to a platter, sprinkle with the scallions and serve.

Southern Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon lard
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons butter, frozen
• 2 tablespoons lard, frozen
• 1 teaspoon bacon drippings
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet with 1/2 teaspoon of lard.
2. Mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl. Grate the frozen butter and 2 tablespoons frozen lard into the flour mixture with a cheese grater; stir lightly 1 or 2 times to mix. With your fingers, make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, and pour the bacon drippings and buttermilk into the well. With just the tips of your fingers, stir lightly and quickly to just bring the dough together before the butter and lard melt. Dough will be sticky.
3. Scrape dough out onto a floured surface, and gently pat the dough flat. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, and fold it in half; pat down, fold again, and repeat until you have folded the dough 4 or 5 times. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a square about 1 inch thick. Cut the biscuit dough into rounds with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter or the floured edge of a drinking glass by pushing straight down (twisting the cutter will seal the edge and keep the biscuits from rising). Lay the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet so the edges just touch.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until risen and lightly golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Flemish Beef Stew

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 pounds beef flat iron or blade steaks, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices, about 3 inches wide

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 cups thickly sliced onions

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Three 12-ounce cans beer

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

Chopped parsley, for garnish

Boiled carrots and potatoes, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1.In an enameled cast-iron casserole, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add one-third of it to the casserole. Cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with 2 more batches of meat, using the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

2.Add the onions to the casserole, cover and cook over low heat, stirring, until browned, 8 minutes. Stir in the flour until the onions are well-coated, then slowly add the beer. Return the meat to the casserole along with any accumulated juices. Add the thyme and bay leaves, cover and simmer over low heat, stirring, until the beef is tender 2 hours.

3.Uncover and transfer the meat to a bowl. Simmer the sauce over moderate heat until thickened slightly. Discard the bay leaves. Return the meat to the casserole and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with boiled carrots and potatoes.

Catfish Po'Boys with Pickle Remoulade

PICKLE REMOULADE:

1. 1 cup mayonnaise
2. 1/4 cup minced celery
3. 1 small shallot, minced
4. 1 garlic clove, minced
5. 2 tablespoons Creole mustard
6. 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
7. 2 tablespoons chopped drained capers
8. 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

PO'BOYS:

1. 1 cup cornmeal
2. 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs), crushed
3. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
8. 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
9. 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
10. 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
11. 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
12. 3 large eggs
13. Eight 5-ounce skinless catfish fillets
14. Vegetable oil, for frying
15. 8 crusty hero rolls, split
16. Shredded romaine, for serving

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients.
2. In a pie plate, whisk the cornmeal, panko, 1/2 cup of flour, the salt, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, sage, ginger and cumin. In another pie plate, beat the eggs. Dust the catfish with flour, then dip in the beaten egg; coat in thepanko mixture, pressing the crumbs to help them adhere. Transfer the fish to a baking sheet.
3. In a skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil. Fry the catfish in 2 batches over moderately high heat, turning once, until the crust is golden and crisp and the fish is cooked through, 4 minutes. Drain the fish on paper towels.
4. Spread the rolls with the remoulade. Top with the fried fish and romaine and serve.

Pickle Remoulade:

Lemon-Brined Fried Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 gallon cold water
2. 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
3. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
4. 12 bay leaves
5. 1 head of garlic, smashed but not peeled
6. 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
7. 3 large rosemary sprigs
8. 1 small bunch of thyme
9. 1 small bunch of parsley
10. Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
11. Two 3-pound chickens
12. 3 cups all-purpose flour
13. 2 tablespoons garlic powder
14. 2 tablespoons onion powder
15. 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
16. 2 cups buttermilk
17. Vegetable oil, for frying
18. Rosemary and thyme sprigs, for garnish

1. In a very large pot, combine 1 quart of the water with 1 cup of the salt and the honey, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme and parsley. Add the lemon zest and juice and the lemon halves and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Let cool completely, then stir in the remaining 3 quarts of cold water. Add the chickens, being sure they're completely submerged, and refrigerate overnight.
2. Drain the chickens and pat dry. Scrape off any herbs or peppercorns stuck to the skin and cut each bird into 8 pieces, keeping the breast meat on the bone.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Put the buttermilk in a large, shallow bowl. Working with a few pieces at a time, dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then dredge in the flour mixture, pressing so it adheres all over. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
4. In a very large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 330°. Fry the chicken in 2 or 3 batches over moderate heat, turning once, until golden and crunchy and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each piece registers 160°, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain, and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the remaining chicken pieces. Transfer the fried chicken to a platter, garnish with the herb sprigs and serve hot or at room temperature.